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Polanski move to disqualify courts denied

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A judge has ruled that he is not biased against Roman Polanski and has rejected a motion by the fugitive director’s lawyer to disqualify him and all the judges in Los Angeles County from hearing a new bid for dismissal of a 31-year-old rape case involving a then-13-year-old girl.

Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza said Friday there are 600 judges available in 50 courthouses spread over the 4,000 square miles of Los Angeles County.

Espinoza said that only in extremely rare instances could it be possible to find no judge qualified to preside over the matter. He said the fact that another judge might be a witness in the case is not disqualifying under the law.